170 



FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



loss of the lower leaves as the plants ripen, to leaching by rain, and 

 to the storage of nutrients in the bulbs at the base of the stems. In 

 maturing corn the nutrients are stored in the kernels, which are easily 

 masticated and highly digestible. In the smaller grasses, tho a similar 

 storage occurs in the seeds, they are so small and have such hard seed 

 coats that they escape mastication and their nutrients are largely lost. 

 Based on the yield of digestible nutrients alone, full bloom appears 

 the best time to cut timothy for hay, but other factors must be con- 

 sidered. Such immature grass is difficult to cure, the weather early in 



Fig. 48. — Cutting a Fine Field of Timothy 



On most farms where timothy is now extensively gro\^■n, gr£ater use should 

 be made of tlie legumes, which not only yield more hay, but also increase the 

 fertility of the land. 



the season is usually more unsettled, and the ground cooler. Also, 

 haying must often be delayed in the corn belt until the corn has been 

 cultivated. In general, timothy should be cut early for dairy cows, 

 young stock, and sheep, since these animals do not relish hay that is 

 woody and lacks aroma, as does most late-cut hay. For horses and 

 fattening cattle late cutting is favored, since these animals get much 

 of their nourishment from concentrates, and the hay they eat serves 

 more as ''filling." In any event, cutting should not be delayed until 

 the grass becomes tough and woody and the seeds shatter. 



Red top. — This grass is probably suited to a wider range of climatic 

 and soil conditions than any other cultivated grass. A couple of years 



